I've been quiet for awhile, first of all happy new year to all, and I hope my readers enjoyed their holidays. However, please be reminded to be thankful as the people of Newtown, Connecticut did not enjoy their holidays, or their new year. Another tragedy occurred in an American school, unfortunately.
On December 14, 2012, 20 children were shot and killed along with 6 staff members. There were 27 deaths, the 27th death was the perpetrator who committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Unimaginable. The major school shootings in contemporary society begin with Columbine High School, then Virginia Tech, then Chardon High School and now in Sandy Hook Elementary School. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. What is going on?! Children, little boys and girls, aren't even safe in their own school anymore! What has our society deteriorated to? The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting is the SECOND most deadliest shooting in the United States. Imagine the agony the families are going through? It is truly unspeakable and it makes me want to alienate myself from society. It's mind-boggling.
The end of 2012 surely was a hectic and turbulent time. Starting with Hurricane Sandy, the belief that the world would end, the Sandy Hook shooting, shortly later the holidays came in along with the new year. I am just glad 2012 is over and done with. It was not a good year for many.
Let's go back to New York City public schools for a little bit.
Let's face it. Going to a public high school in NYC during the late 70's through mid 90's was hell. It shocks me how people in this city—especially teenagers—could be so resilient. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive. Crime was everywhere. The crack epidemic was still prevalent at the time, and boy oh boy did people consider NYC the most dangerous city in the United States! In 1990, there were over 2,000 deaths due to homicide in NYC! But back to the public schools...
I am not from East New York, but I have two friends from Dewey who are from ENY, and they say it's still a tough neighborhood. I believe it'll always remain tough. Sure, due to a drastic decline in violence and murder in NYC even the toughest of neighborhoods like ENY have improved, but it's still a place where I wouldn't want to live. Public schools in ENY have always had horrific reputations, high dropout rates, low attendance, high crime rates etc. Obviously, this led to the closure of many many schools (knowing Bloomberg!) and of course, one of the most known closures in ENY is the closure of Thomas Jefferson High School. A high school known for its scary crime rates, suspension rates, very low graduation rate, and overall it was basically a rampant prison. Truly, no sane parent would send their children there. The school's population, though, reflected the neighborhood's population; predominantly black.
On November 25, 1991, there was a major fight going on in the 3rd floor hallway of Thomas Jefferson High School. The fistfight quickly evolved to a shooting. Imagine, walking through a packed hallway in a high school and all of a sudden a student takes out a gun and starting firing. A brave teacher tried to intervene but he was shot too. He was shot in the neck and critically injured. This was undoubtedly one of the worst high school shootings in NYC at the time. But to the students of Thomas Jefferson, this was nothing new. Crime, guns, knifes, all too common at the school. They considered this to be a norm. What a shame, huh? A teenager was murdered, Darryl Sharpe of East New York.
According to the New York Times, in 1991, 480 children under the age of 16 have been shot in New York City.
But this is just merely ONE of the many, many gun incidents in schools. Why are schools in the United States full of high rates of crime and violence? Why are innocent children dying or being critically injured in our schools? Apart from cyberbullying and bullying, students feel they have to defend themselves with weapons. Yes, I know, Adam Lanza, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook shooting was not a current student, BUT HE WAS IN THE PAST. Also, if we take the Columbine shooting into this, Dylan and Eric were two anti-social teenagers with an addiction for violence. That obviously sends the wrong message. People tried to blame goth culture, or rock music which they considered "Satanic" and what not. People tried to deviate from the truth so much. The truth was AND IS that American public schools are NOT safe. They are NOT.
How long is this going to go on? Just recently this sparked the gun control debate, but how about having a debate on the most important subject: keeping our schools safe. How can that be done? Several districts have already added armed security guards claiming "a good guy with a gun stops the bad guy with a gun" but how so? You never know the circumstances. Guns + guns = safety? Hmm... Sounds a little peculiar. One thing I do approve of is the addition of metal detectors in the entrance of every school in the United States. Some districts have definitely done this task, and I believe it works. Metal detectors are basically a boundary for the soon-to-be-perpetrators. Beep! You have a metal object... A gun?! And there and then the perpetrator is stopped in his/her tracks. Without metal detectors, some random intruder can walk into the school and shoot everything and everyone. Metal detectors prevent that.
Am I saying that metal detectors are 100% reliable? Nope. But they sure as hell do significantly raise the safety levels of schools. I think they're more efficient than armed guards, truthfully.
Since 1988, public schools in New York City have been implementing metal detectors. At the beginning of the 1990's, there were approximately 20 schools with metal detectors in NYC, as of 2009, there are over 90. That number shot up really high. But hey, if it's for the safety of the students, I'd rather get my phone taken away than my life. Wouldn't you agree? Of course you do! I can't comprehend how people can be so cruel and take the lives of innocent little children away. Ahh... What can we do to make our schools safer? We must find the most viable answer before more lives are sacrificed in this wave of violence in schools.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Road to Recovery: A B for John Dewey High School
When I said that the NYCDOE and Bloomberg were messing with the wrong school, I wasn't joking. John Dewey High School proves itself successful. The Dewey community remained strong in the weakest of times, and all that hard work has taken its toll. It showed the NYCDOE, Bloomberg, his puppet Walcott and every other idiot who believed it deserved to close. The progress and improvement John Dewey High School has made in one year is jaw dropping. Which brings me to my following point, I have amazing news to announce:
This is amazing news! The Dewey community rejoices and is elated. Since 2009, many people knew that a "closure" possibility was imminent, and when it became official in mid-2010, since day one, the Dewey community fought and fought! Students, teachers, alumni, you name it, were there. Starting from the "Fight Back Fridays!" to public meetings furiously opposing this irrational plan. John Dewey High School did it, John Dewey High School makes history by being the first school to go from "failing" to "in good standing" by the NYCDOE while being on a closure list. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is. This is amazing, and I'm sticking up the middle finger at treacherous NYCDOE and Bloomberg right now. That'll show them. You have destroyed iconic schools since 2002, damaged students, damaged teachers, destroyed communities and hurt parents, well this is the breaking point. This is where the line is drawn. Enough is enough, your evil roots have been crushed.
Now, John Dewey High School has turned a new leaf. It currently scores higher than 45% of high schools throughout New York City. That's amazing, and nearly half of city schools. We can only smile, and thankful to see that this progress has finally been shown. If Dewey's progress has impressed the NYCDOE enough to give it a B, then it MUST be true progress.
Please keep in mind this data from the 2011-2012 school year, the last year of the ineffective principal Barry Fried, who was often criticized by staff members for doing nothing for the school, he only hid in his office, and at times he rarely showed up to the school. However, by the spring of 2012, Fried was finally replaced after serving principal of John Dewey High School since 1999, just a little over a decade. The replacement, Ms. Kathleen Elvin has been strict, but useful. She undoubtedly shows great leadership for the school even though some of her teammates are newbies. She's known for the creation of Williamsburg Preparatory High School in 2004 in the Harry Van Arsdale Campus in Williamsburg itself, Williamsburg Prep soon became one of NYC's highest performing high schools, receiving consecutive A's. Ms. Elvin says she plans to do the same at John Dewey High School, and her main goal is to make it once again one of the highest performing high schools in New York City, and the progress is evident.
(P.S. I know many of you are critics of the NYCDOE's Progress Reports, and truthfully, I am too, even though it may not seem like it in this post. They purposefully manipulate these scores to "justify" more school closures citywide, however, if you think about it... Why would the NYCDOE give Dewey a good grade when they tried to close it in the past, but were repeatedly stopped? It only proves that this progress MUST be real, and is definitely good enough for the NYCDOE to actually acknowledge it and give Dewey its well earned B. I mean c'mon folks, if the NYCDOE can see progress, then anyone can. We all know how reluctant the DOE is to acknowledge the positive changes in a school.)
John Dewey High School received a B rating for the 2011-2012 school year on the annual school progress reports.
The school received a high B, outperforming schools like the highly regarded Midwood High School.
This post will go in-depth describing the progress John Dewey High School has made from the previous school year (2010-2011) and why it deserves that well earned B. The graduation rate increased by 6% and the college readiness rate increased by 5% without any true help from the NYCDOE, the Dewey community accomplished this by themselves with arduous work.
• Schools earning 70 or more points received As (35% of schools)
• Schools earning between 58 and 69.9 points received Bs (37% of schools)
• Schools earning between 47 and 57.9 points received Cs (20% of schools)
• Schools earning between 40 and 46.9 points received Ds (5% of schools)
• Schools earning less than 39.9 points received Fs (3% of schools)
Since John Dewey High School received one of the highest B's (rounded 64/100), it scores with the majority of schools in the city, the 37%, making John Dewey High School a high-average performing school.
COMPARISON OF JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL'S PROGRESS REPORT RESULTS FROM THE 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ENDED IN JUNE 2011 TO THE RECENT 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ENDED JUNE 2012
(To view the images bigger, just click on them.)
2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR RESULTS
Ouch! In the 2010-2011 school year, Dewey received its fourth consecutive C, scoring a shameful undeserved rounded 49/100. It was enough for the NYCDOE to put it on the chopping block, which, of course, it did.
Another eyesore. In 2009, Dewey performed in the 8th percentile, only scoring higher than 8% of NYC high schools, then in 2010 it rose impressively to 25, and fell back again to 17 in early 2011.
2010-2011's overview is not impressive. No green, just yellow and red, not a good. Student progress staggers halfway, student performance receives an alarming D, and the school environment receives a big red F. Two C's and two F's.
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| John Dewey High School's graduation rate for 2011 was 66%, which is still decent, but not enough to go beyond the city average, and it's a sizable amount below the peer schools average. However, the four year weighted diploma rate exceeds the city schools average, but not the peer school average. The six year weighted diploma rate exceeds both the peer schools and city schools average, though. |
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| This is truly another eyesore. The scores are so slow compared to the peer schools, and compared to the city schools, it's not the best either. The only result that hits the citywide average is the "Engagement" scoring a 6.6, exactly the city schools average. Everything else is below the peer schools and city schools. The attendance rate, however, is impressive, at a rounded 89% hitting the peer schools average and exceeding the citywide schools average by 3%. |
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| There's so much red, citing bad scores. Communication is very low for the 2010-2011 school year, burning red at 5.9, nearly a point below the citywide average. There is barely any change, from the 2009-2010 school survey to the 2010-2011 school survey, the only thing that improved somewhat is the engagement, but even that, fell below the citywide average. Everything else remained on the same path, there were zero scores reaching 7's. The highest is "Academic Expectations" which scored a 6.9. (I'm talking about the comparison to all high schools, not participants at the school because that one is subjective.) |
2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR RESULTS
John Dewey High School receives a B rating for the 2011-2012 school year (last year's progress), scoring a rounded 64/100. It ranks 37% of schools in NYC, the majority, making Dewey an average performing school according to the NYCDOE.
Look at this! Dewey's percentile rank leaps tremendously in 2012! From a 25 in 2010, to a downfall of 17 in 2011, to a HUGE leap to 45 in 2012 (this year), meaning that John Dewey High School performs better than 45% of high schools in the city.
The standards have changed a bit, but are generally the same. Like this year, College and Career Readiness was added to the progress reports due to a push in national college readiness. Dewey excels in this category by scoring a rounded 7/10 giving it a high B rating. 2011-2012 has way more green and two yellows, the colors themselves show the improvement.
Student progress increases to a 34/55 leaving only behind 21 points.
Student performance boosts to a rounded halfway 10/20.
School environment improves drastically, from an F to a C, scoring a rounded 7/15.
College and career readiness receives a rounded 7/10, citing great college and career readiness.
From last year's unimpressive two C's and two F's, to this year's three B's and two C's. If that isn't improvement (in just one year) then I don't know what is.
What is Closing the Achievement Gap?
Closing the achievement gap simply means how great the school can education ELL's (English Language Learners), special ed. students, and students who enter with low proficiency levels. Dewey received a 6 out of 16 points in this category, higher than most high schools. Dewey has been traditionally known to educate foreigners who have been in the United States for less than three years perfectly. Many Dewey graduates that entered the school with virtually no English skills have ended up going to college in just four years.
Dewey is one of the schools that the NYCDOE gave the highest points for in this category, and no school received all the 16 points, but a 6 out of 16 is impressive, and one of the highest in the city.
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| John Dewey High School's graduation rate increased by 6% in just one year! If you look above in the 2010-2011 progress report, the graduation rate was a rounded 66%, and now, in the following 2011-2012 year, the graduation rate is a rounded 72%! I will say it again, if that isn't progress and improvement, then I don't know what is. Apart from the improving 4 year graduation rate, John Dewey High School is just 0.9% below from its peer schools in the 4 year graduation rate, however, John Dewey High School's 4 year graduation rate exceeds the city average by 0.5%! Dewey's graduation rate is above the city average. Dewey's four year weighted diploma rate also increases from a rounded 149% to a rounded 185%! A 36% increase in just one year, exceeding the peer schools average and exceeding the city schools average. The six year weighed diploma rate also exceeds the city average in schools by 0.6%. |
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| Wow this is amazing! Compared to 2010-2011, 2011-2012 shows an outstanding improvement. Every result at John Dewey High School exceeds the citywide schools average, and Dewey is a hell of a lot closer to the average in its peer schools, and it once again excels in "Engagement" for both peer and city schools. The attendance remains pretty much the same at a rounded 89%, which is impressive. It surpasses the citywide schools average in attendance by 2.2%. |
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| Wow! Everything (circled in red) improved from last year! Just by looking at "Change from last year (2010-2011)" you can see all the arrows are pointing up, showing very high improvement. You can only see one faded red in "Communication" however, it's a faded red meaning it's only slightly below average, and it is, only by 0.2 points. In comparison to all the other gray that signifies "average" this is a wonderful improvement from last year. Nearly everything is in line with the citywide average. 2011-2012 IMPROVEMENTS IN SCHOOL SURVEY SCORES FROM 2010-2011: • 2011-2012: Academic Expectations - 7.4 out of 7.5, a spectacular improvement from 2010-2011's 6.9 out of 7.5. • 2011-2012: Communication - 6.6 out of 6.8, an impressive improvement from 2010-2011's 5.9 out of 6.7. • 2011-2012: Engagement - 7.1 out of 7.2, a good improvement from 2010-2011's 6.6 out of 7.0. • 2011-2012: Safety & Respect - 7.3 out of 7.4, a great improvement from 2010-2011's 6.6 out of 7.2. |
This is amazing news! The Dewey community rejoices and is elated. Since 2009, many people knew that a "closure" possibility was imminent, and when it became official in mid-2010, since day one, the Dewey community fought and fought! Students, teachers, alumni, you name it, were there. Starting from the "Fight Back Fridays!" to public meetings furiously opposing this irrational plan. John Dewey High School did it, John Dewey High School makes history by being the first school to go from "failing" to "in good standing" by the NYCDOE while being on a closure list. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is. This is amazing, and I'm sticking up the middle finger at treacherous NYCDOE and Bloomberg right now. That'll show them. You have destroyed iconic schools since 2002, damaged students, damaged teachers, destroyed communities and hurt parents, well this is the breaking point. This is where the line is drawn. Enough is enough, your evil roots have been crushed.
Now, John Dewey High School has turned a new leaf. It currently scores higher than 45% of high schools throughout New York City. That's amazing, and nearly half of city schools. We can only smile, and thankful to see that this progress has finally been shown. If Dewey's progress has impressed the NYCDOE enough to give it a B, then it MUST be true progress.
IMPROVEMENTS & PROGRESS MADE IN JUST 1 YEAR AT JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL:
• From a 65.9% graduation rate in June 2011, to 72.4% June 2012.
• From a 29.5% college readiness rate in June 2011, to 34.9% in June 2012.
• From a 49 out of 100 (C) to a 64 out of 100 (high B) in just one year, a 15 point increase!
• From a 149% four year weighted diploma, to a 185% four year weighted diploma, a 36% increase!
• Scoring from the 17th percentile, to the 45th percentile in just one year. About 28 percentiles higher!
Do you consider a school with a 72% graduation rate, or a 35% college readiness rate (above the citywide average) a failing school? NO. It never was a failing school. It's amazing how much progress John Dewey High School has made in just ONE year. The NYCDOE should definitely give more funding for the school now that it wrongly straps money from the school each year. Can you believe it? The NYCDOE pulled more and more money of out of the school, but yet Dewey's progress improved even more! It just shows that the NYCDOE and "Bloomcott" are just a bunch of corrupt puppets ruining American public education, school by school.
Am I saying these scores are perfect? No. Naturally, there's room for improvement. But still, they're pretty damn great, and in just one year Dewey has accomplished this much. This is amazing. Hopefully, in the next progress report Dewey receives an A. Because that's what Dewey deserves. A B for John Dewey High School, citing true progress, and indeed, a road to recovery for a school that the DOE has damaged and betrayed so much.
Am I saying these scores are perfect? No. Naturally, there's room for improvement. But still, they're pretty damn great, and in just one year Dewey has accomplished this much. This is amazing. Hopefully, in the next progress report Dewey receives an A. Because that's what Dewey deserves. A B for John Dewey High School, citing true progress, and indeed, a road to recovery for a school that the DOE has damaged and betrayed so much.
I hope this article gets the publicity it deserves so everyone across the nation can see how great of a school John Dewey High School is, and how wrong and corrupt our public educational system can be, because it's a tragedy. Yes, if you're an out-of-town guy or gal, or oblivious to how our American public educational works, here you go. You get a glimpse, experienced from the eyes of a student who goes to a school that was once targeted by them. That's precisely why this blog exists, to share my past experiences with you.
Give John Dewey High School the funding it deserves, corrupt DOE!
(P.S. I know many of you are critics of the NYCDOE's Progress Reports, and truthfully, I am too, even though it may not seem like it in this post. They purposefully manipulate these scores to "justify" more school closures citywide, however, if you think about it... Why would the NYCDOE give Dewey a good grade when they tried to close it in the past, but were repeatedly stopped? It only proves that this progress MUST be real, and is definitely good enough for the NYCDOE to actually acknowledge it and give Dewey its well earned B. I mean c'mon folks, if the NYCDOE can see progress, then anyone can. We all know how reluctant the DOE is to acknowledge the positive changes in a school.)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
A Series In: The "Dumbing" Down of America
After watching many conspiracy videos of the "dumbing" down of America, or as it's correctly known: The United States. I find myself more and more intrigued by this topic, especially because it's relevant to me as a Dewey student. I am the product and I am under the banner of one of the biggest and most corrupt public educational systems, the infamous New York City Department of Education, or as it is more commonly known: NYCDOE. Well, I am not shocked that this is the current state of our public education. Many people believe the U.S. is becoming more of an oligarchy, and let me tell you, I think so as well. It's always a handful of elites controlling our every move, and every aspect of modern life. Education is just icing on the cake. Even though "dumbing" is not a word, I am compelled to use it because it plainly describes in one nonexistent word, what's really going on.
THE FACTORS THAT CAUSE THE "DUMBING" DOWN IN THE UNITED STATES:
- Poverty (inevitable as well...)
- The No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
- Standardized Testing (Yes folks, this includes the NYS Regents!)
- Corruption (inevitable, it seems so...)
Poverty
I'm a die-hard conspiracy theorist, guys. From the books to the videos. I thank the Dewey library for helping me supply my dose of conspiracy. Anyway, to the point. Why has our education fallen back so much? That is the question. We're suppose to be the leader in this world! Other countries laugh at our education reforms that fail miserably. Prior to being a Dewey student, I had no idea I was in this mess. I was just a mere oblivious junior high school student. But boy, let me tell you, my junior high school was terrible. The reading and math scores were ridiculous; they staggered around 20% out of a 100%. Can you believe it? I was shocked, but I moved on, after all, my district was known for having sub-par schools. However, I didn't choose to live here, did I? No. My parents lived in a not-so-good school district because it was cheaper, however, due to gentrification, my school district is getting heavily populated with more whites. Keep in mind, I became a product of the NYCDOE in 2001; from 2001 to 2012, my school district has improved, but it's still sub-par, and most of the whites that move here send their kids to private schools or even home-school them, because they know that my district (the district they live in as well) has sub-par schools. What is the outcome? Higher rent prices, higher monthly payments... Causing the poorer who make lower annual income to move out and head forward to terrible neighborhoods that are crime infested. Sad reality.
The problem with poverty is that it's a vicious cycle. I liked President Reagan's beliefs on government support for the poor, he believed that it shouldn't exist as profoundly as it does, because it causes people to become lazy and unreliable. The approach was thoughtful, but contentious, obviously the American people were not supportive. But he was right! Poverty is like mixing batter, over and over, it continues. You never get out of it, and if you do, you're the exception. These people live in such terrible conditions, or in very small rodent infested apartments with little resources and educational backgrounds. They live in "projects" also known as Section 8 housing. Most of these people don't make education their top priority, there's no rule of conduct for them. They become leeches, and it's unfortunate. Their kids end up going to terrible neighborhood schools, and of course, end up going to terrible high schools, mainly remaining in the neighborhood. Again, I reiterate, that is the poverty cycle aforementioned above. These kids don't have any idea what the SHSAT is, or what the top high schools in the city are. Am I right? So they stay there. Eventually, when they have kids, they'll copy their only role models, their parents. They will also find it convenient to rarely work and become yet another leech. Poverty decimates and segregates public education—because you'll be damned lucky if you find a white kid in one of those schools. Never ever, unless they're trailer trash of course.
Of course, I may sound cruel and generalizing, but it's the truth. Now, I am not saying ALL of them will end up like that. I know there are exceptions, sticking out of the filth. But I have no optimism for poverty, I think it'll always exist. It's painful to say that. The "educational reformers" laugh at them, because they don't care. You hear them say "...But it's for the kids!" haha, no, it's NEVER for the kids. It's for the money. Yup.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
How quaint that one of the worst presidents in history signs one of the worst acts to ever be introduced and enacted. It enrages me to even think of the NCLB. It's trash. It's revolting. Not only does it subtly segregate public education, it creates this notion that in order to be gifted, you have to be a great test taker and go to a school that meets AYP (adequate yearly progress), and lets keep in mind, John Dewey High School was about to get closed by the NYCDOE because it did not meet AYP. John Dewey High School was 85% minority in 2009, 2010 and in as well. A large portion of students in Dewey are Asian, coming from families who just recently immigrated to the United States from China, Burma, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Now tell me, is it Dewey's fault for accepting these unbelievable amounts of minority students? No. The NYCDOE purposefully plotted and squished all these students in the school because they had no where else to go! One study done at Harvard University mentioned Racial Equity of public schools in California and Illinois under the NCLB, noticed that schools with high percentages of minority students did not make AYP, but schools with a very low percentage of minority students DID make AYP. Common sense. You don't expect minority students who just came to this country to magically speak and write essays in English like it's their natal tongue, right? DUH!
The worst part that after just five years of a school not providing AYP, the DOE has the authority to take over the school and do whatever it wants to it. Either close the school, hire a private company (that will do nothing but suck the funds!) to "supervise" the school, or whatever have you. It's a sick practice that is just for the money. A school that consistently and forcefully accepts minority students because the DOE says that every school has to have "their share of minority students" doesn't make AYP. It's so obvious. It's just another way to justify school closures, and create more charter schools. Another controversial doing, where parents do a lottery to get accepted into a charter school because they claim it's better, and corporate elites support it. They (y'know the DOE and all) like the idea of destroying large comprehensive schools. American public education will never be the same. But the spotlight not only goes to the minority students, but to the students with disabilities as well. It has been noted that schools that make AYP are reluctant to accept students with disabilities, you know why right? Yup! Because those students will make their numbers go down. They feel that, like the minority student, they're incapable of passing a typical standardized exam that holds the school's fate depending on the percentage of students that pass. It's shameful and sick.
But remember, if you're a minority student, or a student with a disability reading this, don't feel bad. Really. Whether a school makes AYP or not, it doesn't make it a bad school. And whether you can pass a standardized exam or not, it does not define your IQ or level of intelligence. It's all about testing, which I will get to next. Keep in mind, they manipulate these tests to make them confusing so they can close and "reform" more schools. Being an open minded, caring person in this society is way more significant than being able to solve arithmetic problems on a test.
Standardized Testing (including NYS Regents, Texas TAKS, etc.)
All these fancy-schmancy standardized tests that signify whether you'll be able to graduate high school or not, that signify the future of the school, whether it'll remain open next year or not, whether it'll become a charter school backed by corporate elites or not, whether the school will make AYP or not. Yup. All of this on your hands, because of a standardized test that you have to take right in front of you. Mhmm, how do you feel with all this responsibility? Overwhelmed? I know I do. I have always been bad at math, I loathe it. I have always been (I don't mean to toot my own horn here) exceptionally good at English though. I failed my math regents repeatedly. I hate that my diploma depends on the passing of that exam or not. These tests have no relevancy, nor do they teach me anything. They are just a constant reminder that I am bad at math. These standardized tests make people go crazy, stressed out, they increase drug intake among adolescents, and create so many other complicated scenarios. Speaking in third person for a moment: You'll be damned if you fail this standardized exam! So will your school! So pass, pass, pass! Study your eyeballs out. After all, we don't care if John Dewey High School's robotics team won the championships beating The Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School (both which also require a standardized exam to get in—and they're considered the best high schools in NYC), or was named one of the Best High Schools in America in 2007, all we care is about the standardized test numbers! Numbers, numbers, numbers. They determine the future of Dewey.
See where I'm getting at? Our nation would have a much higher graduating rate, and a much lower drop out rate if we removed those damned exams! A standardized exam does not signify your intelligence. Many people get left out and stuck behind because of a standardized exam they failed, ironically, this goes against the name of the reform that instituted these standardized exams: No Child Left Behind. I thought we weren't leaving any children behind? Apparently, we are. What do these exams do for our kids? Absolutely nothing. Millions of dollars are being wasted, and trees are being wasted as well, to print out these treacherous exams. And you have to take them over and over and over until you finally pass them! These millions could be used as funding for schools. Of course, no one ever listens to me. They only think their ideas are correct. Evidently not! But it's okay, they know themselves that their tactics and reforms are failures. Bloomberg has even skewed numbers so his small schools can seemingly show higher passing rates. Haha, talk about pathetic. It just doesn't work.
Corruption (including the Billionaire Bloomberg Administration)
Oh, corruption. You've existed since the beginning of time. Corruption is everywhere, from large powerful companies to small independent. Corruption even lurks in the educational aspect of our society. Basically, from everything aforementioned, that's blatant corruption. But it gets worse. I'm always on the lookout, and I hate to remain oblivious, even in the smallest things. It is my goal to become aware. I'm always aware. I'm also aware of the trash the NYCDOE inflicted on my high school, my beloved John Dewey High School. Their plan is to fire all the elder, more experienced teachers, and hire rookies who are clueless. Why, you ask? Well it's because teachers who have been teaching for decades are more expensive. Once again: It's not about the kids, it's about the money. Inexperienced, young ones are clueless and under-payed. This saves the DOE a lot of money. I can't believe it. If they want to save money, then stop printing those trashy exams that serve no purpose! It's twisted. The BBA (Billionaire Bloomberg Administration) has existed since 2002, when Michael Bloomberg officially became the mayor of New York City. Since that year, he has placed teachers, schools, parents and students in agonizing pain.
He is a borderline dictator, he really made it blatant when he decided to ban large soft drinks over 16oz in NYC because he felt we were "fat" and like experimental rats, we needed to be controlled. He even extended the traditional mayoral two terms, to three! He makes his own rules, and he gets whatever he damn pleases. Over the years, I've seen other schools suffer thanks to him. I was never directly hit by his corporate seed of destruction until I reached high school. Since 2002 he has closed HUNDREDS of schools throughout the city. Then, since 2010, the BBA tried and tried to [unsuccessfully] close 33 schools, then in early 2012 that number dropped to 24. Until the union, United Federation of Teachers (bless them) took this to court. The arbitrator saw himself that this was ridiculous and unethical. He stopped the school closures from happening. The corruption continues on today, it starts off when nearby schools close, and then those schools received an influx of unwanted kids... then the receiving school's numbers (it's all about the numbers) begin to plummet, then the BBA targets that school... and so the corruption and vicious cycle of the destruction of public education in the United States continues.
I swear sometimes I should become the next Diane Ravitch or something, maybe even the biggest conspiracy theorist in history in educational matters.
Bureaucracy
The biggest kiss-asses in the world exist in bureaucracy. They follow their bosses, which are seemingly like a North Korean dictator. Do what I tell you, or you will get executed! Well... not really, but y'know, fired. Yup. The kiss-asses have to swallow their pride, even when they know it's wrong. Trust me, they leak so much in the DOE. I remember they were in John Dewey High School, trying to explain their plans, so miserably the kiss-ass (that I will not name) failed. I'll address the person with she. She was getting red, so bright and gleaming with sweat. It was at a conference where students, staff, and parents came together to address the plan for John Dewey High School in the future. She claimed this school would help the school, as if it were a lost baby who needed to be spoon fed. It enraged me, and it even enraged me more that she was from California and taught at Edward R. Murrow High School, the high school that exists THANKS TO JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL.
They all knew this would be ineffective, and God heard my prayers when I asked him to spare this annual batch of schools the BBA tried to unsuccessfully close. I can't wait still that old scum takes his billions and leaves office. It is truly unfair that he has circumvented the rules, and no one can stop him. Why? Oh, because of bureaucracy. The kiss-asses don't care as long as they get their big fat checks. No. It's wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
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THIS ladies and gentlemen, is the "dumbing" down of America. Our educational system is flawed and corrupt. We should take countries like Finland as an example. They used John Dewey's pedagogical beliefs to improve and make their education top notch. In Finland, there is no such thing as a certain specialized high school where you have to take an admissions test to get in, there are elite high schools ALL OVER the place. I should teach in Finland, because if I ever became a teacher in the United States, I'd lose my mind.
THE FACTORS THAT CAUSE THE "DUMBING" DOWN IN THE UNITED STATES:
- Poverty (inevitable as well...)
- The No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
- Standardized Testing (Yes folks, this includes the NYS Regents!)
- Corruption (inevitable, it seems so...)
- Bureaucracy (don't even say it!)
Poverty
I'm a die-hard conspiracy theorist, guys. From the books to the videos. I thank the Dewey library for helping me supply my dose of conspiracy. Anyway, to the point. Why has our education fallen back so much? That is the question. We're suppose to be the leader in this world! Other countries laugh at our education reforms that fail miserably. Prior to being a Dewey student, I had no idea I was in this mess. I was just a mere oblivious junior high school student. But boy, let me tell you, my junior high school was terrible. The reading and math scores were ridiculous; they staggered around 20% out of a 100%. Can you believe it? I was shocked, but I moved on, after all, my district was known for having sub-par schools. However, I didn't choose to live here, did I? No. My parents lived in a not-so-good school district because it was cheaper, however, due to gentrification, my school district is getting heavily populated with more whites. Keep in mind, I became a product of the NYCDOE in 2001; from 2001 to 2012, my school district has improved, but it's still sub-par, and most of the whites that move here send their kids to private schools or even home-school them, because they know that my district (the district they live in as well) has sub-par schools. What is the outcome? Higher rent prices, higher monthly payments... Causing the poorer who make lower annual income to move out and head forward to terrible neighborhoods that are crime infested. Sad reality.
The problem with poverty is that it's a vicious cycle. I liked President Reagan's beliefs on government support for the poor, he believed that it shouldn't exist as profoundly as it does, because it causes people to become lazy and unreliable. The approach was thoughtful, but contentious, obviously the American people were not supportive. But he was right! Poverty is like mixing batter, over and over, it continues. You never get out of it, and if you do, you're the exception. These people live in such terrible conditions, or in very small rodent infested apartments with little resources and educational backgrounds. They live in "projects" also known as Section 8 housing. Most of these people don't make education their top priority, there's no rule of conduct for them. They become leeches, and it's unfortunate. Their kids end up going to terrible neighborhood schools, and of course, end up going to terrible high schools, mainly remaining in the neighborhood. Again, I reiterate, that is the poverty cycle aforementioned above. These kids don't have any idea what the SHSAT is, or what the top high schools in the city are. Am I right? So they stay there. Eventually, when they have kids, they'll copy their only role models, their parents. They will also find it convenient to rarely work and become yet another leech. Poverty decimates and segregates public education—because you'll be damned lucky if you find a white kid in one of those schools. Never ever, unless they're trailer trash of course.
Of course, I may sound cruel and generalizing, but it's the truth. Now, I am not saying ALL of them will end up like that. I know there are exceptions, sticking out of the filth. But I have no optimism for poverty, I think it'll always exist. It's painful to say that. The "educational reformers" laugh at them, because they don't care. You hear them say "...But it's for the kids!" haha, no, it's NEVER for the kids. It's for the money. Yup.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
How quaint that one of the worst presidents in history signs one of the worst acts to ever be introduced and enacted. It enrages me to even think of the NCLB. It's trash. It's revolting. Not only does it subtly segregate public education, it creates this notion that in order to be gifted, you have to be a great test taker and go to a school that meets AYP (adequate yearly progress), and lets keep in mind, John Dewey High School was about to get closed by the NYCDOE because it did not meet AYP. John Dewey High School was 85% minority in 2009, 2010 and in as well. A large portion of students in Dewey are Asian, coming from families who just recently immigrated to the United States from China, Burma, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Now tell me, is it Dewey's fault for accepting these unbelievable amounts of minority students? No. The NYCDOE purposefully plotted and squished all these students in the school because they had no where else to go! One study done at Harvard University mentioned Racial Equity of public schools in California and Illinois under the NCLB, noticed that schools with high percentages of minority students did not make AYP, but schools with a very low percentage of minority students DID make AYP. Common sense. You don't expect minority students who just came to this country to magically speak and write essays in English like it's their natal tongue, right? DUH!
The worst part that after just five years of a school not providing AYP, the DOE has the authority to take over the school and do whatever it wants to it. Either close the school, hire a private company (that will do nothing but suck the funds!) to "supervise" the school, or whatever have you. It's a sick practice that is just for the money. A school that consistently and forcefully accepts minority students because the DOE says that every school has to have "their share of minority students" doesn't make AYP. It's so obvious. It's just another way to justify school closures, and create more charter schools. Another controversial doing, where parents do a lottery to get accepted into a charter school because they claim it's better, and corporate elites support it. They (y'know the DOE and all) like the idea of destroying large comprehensive schools. American public education will never be the same. But the spotlight not only goes to the minority students, but to the students with disabilities as well. It has been noted that schools that make AYP are reluctant to accept students with disabilities, you know why right? Yup! Because those students will make their numbers go down. They feel that, like the minority student, they're incapable of passing a typical standardized exam that holds the school's fate depending on the percentage of students that pass. It's shameful and sick.
But remember, if you're a minority student, or a student with a disability reading this, don't feel bad. Really. Whether a school makes AYP or not, it doesn't make it a bad school. And whether you can pass a standardized exam or not, it does not define your IQ or level of intelligence. It's all about testing, which I will get to next. Keep in mind, they manipulate these tests to make them confusing so they can close and "reform" more schools. Being an open minded, caring person in this society is way more significant than being able to solve arithmetic problems on a test.
Standardized Testing (including NYS Regents, Texas TAKS, etc.)
All these fancy-schmancy standardized tests that signify whether you'll be able to graduate high school or not, that signify the future of the school, whether it'll remain open next year or not, whether it'll become a charter school backed by corporate elites or not, whether the school will make AYP or not. Yup. All of this on your hands, because of a standardized test that you have to take right in front of you. Mhmm, how do you feel with all this responsibility? Overwhelmed? I know I do. I have always been bad at math, I loathe it. I have always been (I don't mean to toot my own horn here) exceptionally good at English though. I failed my math regents repeatedly. I hate that my diploma depends on the passing of that exam or not. These tests have no relevancy, nor do they teach me anything. They are just a constant reminder that I am bad at math. These standardized tests make people go crazy, stressed out, they increase drug intake among adolescents, and create so many other complicated scenarios. Speaking in third person for a moment: You'll be damned if you fail this standardized exam! So will your school! So pass, pass, pass! Study your eyeballs out. After all, we don't care if John Dewey High School's robotics team won the championships beating The Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School (both which also require a standardized exam to get in—and they're considered the best high schools in NYC), or was named one of the Best High Schools in America in 2007, all we care is about the standardized test numbers! Numbers, numbers, numbers. They determine the future of Dewey.
See where I'm getting at? Our nation would have a much higher graduating rate, and a much lower drop out rate if we removed those damned exams! A standardized exam does not signify your intelligence. Many people get left out and stuck behind because of a standardized exam they failed, ironically, this goes against the name of the reform that instituted these standardized exams: No Child Left Behind. I thought we weren't leaving any children behind? Apparently, we are. What do these exams do for our kids? Absolutely nothing. Millions of dollars are being wasted, and trees are being wasted as well, to print out these treacherous exams. And you have to take them over and over and over until you finally pass them! These millions could be used as funding for schools. Of course, no one ever listens to me. They only think their ideas are correct. Evidently not! But it's okay, they know themselves that their tactics and reforms are failures. Bloomberg has even skewed numbers so his small schools can seemingly show higher passing rates. Haha, talk about pathetic. It just doesn't work.
Corruption (including the Billionaire Bloomberg Administration)
Oh, corruption. You've existed since the beginning of time. Corruption is everywhere, from large powerful companies to small independent. Corruption even lurks in the educational aspect of our society. Basically, from everything aforementioned, that's blatant corruption. But it gets worse. I'm always on the lookout, and I hate to remain oblivious, even in the smallest things. It is my goal to become aware. I'm always aware. I'm also aware of the trash the NYCDOE inflicted on my high school, my beloved John Dewey High School. Their plan is to fire all the elder, more experienced teachers, and hire rookies who are clueless. Why, you ask? Well it's because teachers who have been teaching for decades are more expensive. Once again: It's not about the kids, it's about the money. Inexperienced, young ones are clueless and under-payed. This saves the DOE a lot of money. I can't believe it. If they want to save money, then stop printing those trashy exams that serve no purpose! It's twisted. The BBA (Billionaire Bloomberg Administration) has existed since 2002, when Michael Bloomberg officially became the mayor of New York City. Since that year, he has placed teachers, schools, parents and students in agonizing pain.
He is a borderline dictator, he really made it blatant when he decided to ban large soft drinks over 16oz in NYC because he felt we were "fat" and like experimental rats, we needed to be controlled. He even extended the traditional mayoral two terms, to three! He makes his own rules, and he gets whatever he damn pleases. Over the years, I've seen other schools suffer thanks to him. I was never directly hit by his corporate seed of destruction until I reached high school. Since 2002 he has closed HUNDREDS of schools throughout the city. Then, since 2010, the BBA tried and tried to [unsuccessfully] close 33 schools, then in early 2012 that number dropped to 24. Until the union, United Federation of Teachers (bless them) took this to court. The arbitrator saw himself that this was ridiculous and unethical. He stopped the school closures from happening. The corruption continues on today, it starts off when nearby schools close, and then those schools received an influx of unwanted kids... then the receiving school's numbers (it's all about the numbers) begin to plummet, then the BBA targets that school... and so the corruption and vicious cycle of the destruction of public education in the United States continues.
I swear sometimes I should become the next Diane Ravitch or something, maybe even the biggest conspiracy theorist in history in educational matters.
Bureaucracy
The biggest kiss-asses in the world exist in bureaucracy. They follow their bosses, which are seemingly like a North Korean dictator. Do what I tell you, or you will get executed! Well... not really, but y'know, fired. Yup. The kiss-asses have to swallow their pride, even when they know it's wrong. Trust me, they leak so much in the DOE. I remember they were in John Dewey High School, trying to explain their plans, so miserably the kiss-ass (that I will not name) failed. I'll address the person with she. She was getting red, so bright and gleaming with sweat. It was at a conference where students, staff, and parents came together to address the plan for John Dewey High School in the future. She claimed this school would help the school, as if it were a lost baby who needed to be spoon fed. It enraged me, and it even enraged me more that she was from California and taught at Edward R. Murrow High School, the high school that exists THANKS TO JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL.
They all knew this would be ineffective, and God heard my prayers when I asked him to spare this annual batch of schools the BBA tried to unsuccessfully close. I can't wait still that old scum takes his billions and leaves office. It is truly unfair that he has circumvented the rules, and no one can stop him. Why? Oh, because of bureaucracy. The kiss-asses don't care as long as they get their big fat checks. No. It's wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
---
THIS ladies and gentlemen, is the "dumbing" down of America. Our educational system is flawed and corrupt. We should take countries like Finland as an example. They used John Dewey's pedagogical beliefs to improve and make their education top notch. In Finland, there is no such thing as a certain specialized high school where you have to take an admissions test to get in, there are elite high schools ALL OVER the place. I should teach in Finland, because if I ever became a teacher in the United States, I'd lose my mind.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Demise of John Dewey High School
If you don't like reading so much, and want to get straight to the point of the article, please skip down to: 2000's - The Beginning of the Demise of John Dewey High School (thanks to the NYCDOE). This article is formatted in a timeline. It describes the school since 2000 to present day.
Since the dawn of time (1969 that is), no other high school in the United States was better than John Dewey High School. Adored and praised, from everywhere, even making it to the White House as a school model for high schools throughout the nation in 2000. Scholars, laureates, people with 10 PhD's, well rounded intellectuals, you name it, throughout the world came to visit John Dewey High School. It even made Stuyvesant High look like a sub par school back then. Everyone bombarded this school, and if you were lucky enough, just lucky enough, to live in Brooklyn (or NYC in general) and get accepted into this institution, it was like getting accepted into an Ivy League school without the tuition, literally. Can you believe it? How on earth was public education this good? If only "they" knew it wouldn't last forever...
Well you're probably thinking, what the heck? This already has no relevancy to the title of my article. Jeez, calm down, I'll get to it. I don't have much time now that I have a pile of Chemistry homework, and an upcoming Trig test to study for.
Okay, so in the early 1970's segregation was already abolished and school districts and communities were changing demographically. Many foreigners sought after the U.S. of A and mainly (hence, mainly) nestled in large urban settings, this included, of course the Big Apple, The City that Never Sleeps, or simply New York City. This brought in many changes and places that were traditionally Jewish and Italian soon later became predominantly African-American and Puerto Rican. Schools were changing, this was known as the "white flight" and this obviously affected schools. It was jaw dropping to see school populations virtually shift in the course of just a couple of years. High schools that used to be predominantly white, were now predominantly black. Many meetings were arranged to balance out this sudden change, but at the same time keep the peace and diversity. However, it was futile and inevitable.
Man, it just kept going in the groovy 80's. It actually became even more concentrated. New York City was hell. It was extremely dangerous, heck, a public school in NYC back then could be considered in our day an uncontrolled juvenile hall. Even worse. Daily shootings, bulletin boards being burned down, extreme vandalism, things-I-don't-want-to-type going on in the bathroom stalls. Ugh. It was unbelievable. Mind you, this mostly happened in bad sections of NYC, and of course, the neighborhood schools reflected the neighborhood. But John Dewey High kept its ground, still boasting its name and laughing at the copy school, Edward R. Murrow High School which opened in 1974 thanks to a posthumous tribute to John Dewey's philosophy and John Dewey High School. That school would literally not have been born if it weren't for John Dewey High School. They even knew it, but never directly acknowledged it. Bleh, whatever.
In the 1990's, it was basically the breaking point. The NYCDOE had enough. They began closing schools, such as the iconic Erasmus Hall High School which was one of the first schools to ever get closed. My god, that school in its final days was like being incarcerated. It was also consecutively voted as one of NYC's most dangerous schools list. But it was such a shame! That school and that beautiful 1700's building and detailed architecture had gone to waste. Why, you ask? Oh... because of the neighborhood. Yep. The students were inexplicably rowdy, violent, they mainly came from troubled homes, fresh out of prison, a total disadvantaged youth. They were uncontrollable. That obviously was the only sane move the NYCDOE ever made. But even so, the following "small" and "better" schools were and are trash. It remained so bad that even the new "small" and "better" schools eventually closed as well! It was ridiculous, completely laughable.
2000's - The Beginning of the Demise of John Dewey High School (thanks to the NYCDOE)
By the year 2000, dozens of high schools throughout New York City had metal detectors installed. Usually in the schools that were voted to be the most dangerous in the city, such as Sheepshead Bay High, the Erasmus Hall Campus, and a plethora in the Bronx. No one ever expected John Dewey High School to have metal detectors. It was literally like saying Columbia University was going to get demolished because it was so hard to get in. It was that vacuous to ever have such a thought in such a sought-after, nearly-prestigious high school like John Dewey. Although, students and staff soon feared that there would be a downfall, it was a gut feeling, intuition basically. And if they only knew at the time that they were right. It was only a matter of time, and soon, time would take its toll. Why, oh why was this going to happen to John Dewey High School?
Sigh for the day in 2002 when Bloomberg officially became the Mayor of New York City. The public at the time, oblivious to the things he would soon do. Crush and destroy every resource. His dictator-like mayoral control helped ruin public education in NYC. Back to Dewey, by 2002, funds were cut. Funny. I smell a rat. Resource centers (R.C.'s which were special only-in-Dewey rooms where students could get free tutoring in every subject with teachers, along with peers and an abundance of books, computers, tables and chairs) were cut, there were only two teachers occasionally, and books were barely in sight. Why is this happening? Shouldn't the highest performing schools get more money? Many students soon had an epiphany. Although they understood that funding was cut, they found it unfair. And it really was unfair.
2004 - The Imfamous Neighbor, Lafayette High School
Oh, Lafayette! Oh, Lafayette! Yet I still weep for you so. You haven't had a good time in decades, and in retrospect, I feel kind of bad that Dewey is always sending their graduates to Ivy League schools, having a 13 acre campus for students to relax, boasting over 25 AP classes, giving students independence and autonomy, being known as one of the top most sought-after schools in the city, and sooo much more... Meanwhile you have none of that. You remain there. Breathless. Out of life. Just an eyesore of a building. Constantly having your name shoved on the pavement, and constantly having new principals every month (a little joke) along with the NYCDOE threatening to close you. Many of your students don't even come from Bensonhurst, and that's what's ruining you. From the bullying of Asian students to the frequent gang activity.
Of course, John Dewey High School didn't dare mess around with Lafayette. It was like Bronx Science and DeWitt Clinton. A very close proximity, but yet, you never hear anything about them ever interacting. That was basically the relationship Dewey shared with Lafayette. It was nonexistent. Dewey knew that it wanted to help a brother out, Lafayette, but Dewey couldn't because they didn't want to jeopardize the reputation of their school. Dewey knew to keep out. It was just one of those situations that was inevitable thanks to the NYCDOE. Bringing in students from afar that ruin the good schools in the good neighborhoods. Poor ol' Lafayette, no one ever gave that school credit. There was just too much corruption. Even the administration was corrupt. Imagine this: Unruly students inline with a corrupt administration that did not give a rats ass about Lafayette's students. How the $&#* does a school improve, in that predicament? It's insurmountable.
2006 - The Official Announced Closure of Lafayette High School
Hey there, 2006. Hey there, Lafayette. Over the course of these two years, your principals were taking trips out-of-state without consent, raking in the big bucks illegally, and doing other unprofessional (maybe even explicit?) things, you left and abandoned Lafayette High School. The poor school is still stuck in its misery, and finally, the NYCDOE will put it out of its misery, incorrectly. Truthfully and unfortunately, no one truly cared for the school. Props to the 0.001% that actually did. As the old adage says: "The bad always overshadows the good." and it was just too true in this scenario. Of course, this closure process would take effect in 2007 and would take about three years or so to complete, the NYCDOE would just be waiting for the freshman to graduate, the last graduating class of Lafayette High School ever.
2007 - John Dewey High School Wins a National Silver Medal
That's right. News Weekly & U.S. Report rewarded John Dewey High School a silver medal. It was such a proud moment when a beautiful red banner was handed down to us that read "John Dewey High School, named one of America's Best High Schools in 2007, Silver Medal Award" wow! Can you believe it?! The staff rejoiced, and the students did as well, because throughout all this nearby madness, John Dewey High School was a diamond in the rough. Sticking it out and winning national awards. Still proudly sending over a dozen seniors to Ivy League schools each year. Not even the copy, Edward R. Murrow High School, topped that award. The NYCDOE remained silent. Once again, they did not acknowledge John Dewey High School or their accomplishments. Dewey still lacking in funding, but yet, still managed to win this award. Unbelievable.
2008 - Lost Incoming Freshman, Influx of Unwanted Students, Overcrowding, Shortage of Funding, Careless Administration and a Gun Scare Lockdown at John Dewey High School (ouch)
Mamma mia! This is just going by too fast. My head is spinning. Can someone please pass me a glass of seltzer water? So lets get to it. 2008 was undoubtedly possibly the worst year in Dewey history. Mind you, all the problems mentioned in the subtitle are only some of the problems that happened in '08. *gulps* Since Lafayette announced their closure, they have officially stopped accepting freshman. So that leaves a question mark, what happens to all the freshman who were accepted into Lafayette, but now come to the realization that it's closed, and they didn't "qualify" for the NYCDOE's new "better" and "smaller" schools? Or what about those other unwanted kids who didn't get accepted into any high school? Hmm... the NYCDOE does something really stupid, and comes up with an extremely idiotic idea: Lets just shove them into Dewey!
Insideschools and the New York Times praised John Dewey High. Insideschools in 2008 called John Dewey High School "highly sought-after and unconventional" but shortly afterwards, a new article published by them titled Overcrowded Times at John Dewey High explained in depth how the NYCDOE was overlooking Dewey and purposefully ignoring their complaints and what Lafayette's closure is doing to Dewey, the NYCDOE's response is ridiculous and nonchalant, the article can be read by clicking here. The New York Times also published an article in 2008 titled Failings of One Brooklyn High School May Threaten a Neighbor’s Success and thoroughly explains more unnecessary budget cuts, and how neighboring Lafayette's closure is damaging Dewey. It also explains how some staff members and students can blatantly see the negative impact that has taken its toll. The article can be read by clicking here.
The lost incoming freshman were academically deficient and most of them had behavior problems. These uncontrolled freshman took advantage of Dewey's autonomy, created discipline problems, and progressively helped the school's numbers plummet. Ranging from graduation rates to the Learning Environment Surveys. The principal Barry Fried, who was frequently criticized, did absolutely nothing. He became ineffective. While it was not completely his fault, since this outrage and misconduct was new at Dewey, the principal just sat back in his chair and never spoke. Many students later complained that they have never even met or seen the principal before. His policies were very liberal, but obviously, Dewey was unfortunately, becoming more conservative. It was slowly shedding the Dewey philosophy.
Can you believe it? Running a school that's under-funded but overcrowded? Since Dewey was such an attractive option and people longed to go there, the school had a huge population of over 3,200 students. The building's capacity is approximately 3,000 students. In addition to those lost incoming freshman pushed into Dewey, came students from other closed neighborhood schools and infiltrated Dewey as well. Mind you, when I say "neighborhood" I don't mean Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach or Coney Island, I mean parts of Southern Bronx and Northern Brooklyn. The schools population soared, and the NYCDOE did not rightfully give Dewey its fair share of funding. Every student at Dewey was at least $5,000 below the city average per student spending. It was hectic. But to make matters worse... the breaking point was soon to come in March of 2008.
P.S. In the 2008-2009 school year, it was the first time Dewey ever received a B on their annual school report card letter grade. No more A's from then on. Hmm... I wonder why? Care to explain, NYCDOE?
John Dewey High School: The Gun Scare, Lockdown of 2008
Much like the economic recession of 2008, where the entire country faced difficulties (some even claiming it was worse than the Great Depression) Dewey, as well faced difficulties. It remains so uncanny how these difficulties correspond and happened in the same year.
On March 27, 2008 around noon, a student (sources say "that was not newly admitted from Lafayette" but so what? The student was apparently from the Bronx, and he was given a safety transfer, to John Dewey High School. Obviously, this student was part of the plot to destroy the school and the NYCDOE successfully completed their goal in this conspiracy) was found with a gun in his backpack. Some students say this happened in a Senior Economics class, others say it was just in a regular Global History class, who knows. I didn't attend Dewey when this happened, but a lot of my senior friends told me what they knew, and of course, I was sleuthing all over the Internet for more information. Sources say that the student accidentally dropped his bag, and students heard a sound like glass cracking.
What annoys me the most is that this incident was imminent. There was threatening graffiti on the walls prior to the gun scare, it was insinuating that something was going to happen at the school. It was something along the lines of "GET READY, SOMETHING BAD IS COMING, IN APRIL OR MARCH YOU'LL SEE!!" Basically, people knew. It was like Columbine about to happen at Dewey. *shiver* Yet no one really paid any mind! Why, why, why?! This is why traditionally liberal schools like Edward R. Murrow High School have also restricted student liberty, and John Dewey High School was traditionally liberal. The administration brushed off this threat. Times were changing, and the administration was too naive. This graffiti should have sparked a search or something effective to protect the students. Just a year before this gun scare, in 2007, Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and injured 23 others, and then killed himself using a gun. Was this not drilled in the administration's head?
A student in the class knew that was the sound of a gun falling, also, when the bag fell, it was unzipped so the gun was sticking out. The student fled almost instantaneously. He left the building approximately only three minutes later. The school fell into a panic. Doors were locked, alarms were ringing, teachers were praying and going into hysteria. File cabinets blocked the doors, and to the dismay of the students, they were locked in for three hours. The SWAT team was called in, helicopters and truck loads of police cars surrounded the school. It was chaotic. Some students were more sensitive than others, some were crying, some were just questioning the school and its future, some were careless and just wanted to leave, but what everyone in the building did share was their uncertainty. The question: Why was this happening to John Dewey High School?
Nonetheless, when this ordeal was over and done with, the cops and SWAT teams found nothing. Can you believe that? It's so peculiar, and to this day it remains a mystery to me. I question what really happened so many times. What if this was just a little scheme by the NYCDOE after all? Obviously, no one can speak out against this corrupt bureaucracy. Students literally burst out of those red doors, running down the campus signifying their freedom. This was a blow for the Dewey's reputation. Many parents from then on were reluctant to send their kids to Dewey. Another great public institution shattered by the claws of many. It was another chapter repeating itself. First Lafayette, then John Dewey. Bloomberg did not give a damn about what he did to Dewey. It wasn't and isn't a specialized high school, so therefore he looked at Dewey and its progress as insignificant.
2009 - The Aftermath
The year 2009 was such a conflicting year for John Dewey High. It soon found itself to be on a list of failing schools, then starting in 2009, metal detectors were added, the campus was closed, and students did not have that autonomy and independence anymore. The Dewey philosophy was washed away. As aforementioned, this made parents uneasy and reluctant to send their kids to Dewey. The high performing students sought other options. Many kids who would have gone to Dewey, instead, opted for Murrow; since the schools were so alike. Basically, the reality was, if you don't go to a specialized public high school in NYC, Bloomberg had and has a strong chance of closing your school. Regardless of your high graduation rates, college readiness, you name it. It will be destroyed one way or the other, eventually.
John Dewey High School remained overcrowded and under-funded. They had enough money for three high tech metal detectors, but they didn't have enough money to keep the music and performing arts program running? Or the automobile program? Or Japanese, German and Haitian Creole languages? Talk about irresponsibly spending money. Barry Fried, the school's principal since 1999, remained silent. A student named Michelle Kaplun explains in a small article published on the web titled John Dewey High School--Dewing Nothing? explains how irresponsible the administration was, focusing on trivial things and not being primarily concerned on the students. The article can be read by clicking here. After this, some teachers at Dewey became uncomfortable to teach there. Everything changed, and it wasn't the Dewey everyone knew.
That incident destroyed the school's reputation. John Dewey High School was no longer that high achieving school that everyone longed to get into. Many people now insulted the school, and it was frowned upon. Since the NYCDOE selects a portion of the kids who get into each school, I am inclined to believe they selected the worst of the worst. Then, before you know it, we were on the PLA list. The Persistently Lowest Achieving schools list. Also, it was Dewey's second consecutive year in receiving a C on the annual report card grade. The NYCDOE states that if a school receives three or more consecutive C's in a row, it is at risk to be closed. Funny how the school was doing so well in 2007 and two years later, the school has an unbelievable downfall. The NYCDOE accomplished their goal.
2010 - Let the Tormenting Begin!
Sorrow, pain, and agony. Let it reign said the NYCDOE in June of 2010. It enraged me so much to see the list. There were 46 schools on the list, John Dewey High School being one of them. In September of 2010, I was a freshman at John Dewey High. This was my first month to ever step foot in Dewey. I remember when I visited the school beforehand to get acquainted with the feel of the school, it amazed me. I just kept reverberating the same words "It feels like college." and it really did. The big spacious 13 acre campus helped add that feeling. I was so short, probably 5'0 (which I consider short) and everyone around me stood tall like skyscrapers over my head. Anyway, back to the point. I was very oblivious as a freshman, heck I didn't even know the NYCDOE planned to close Dewey.
I attended a truly horrible middle school. I didn't know there was such a thing as a specialized high school, or even that an SHSAT exam existed to qualify getting into one of those top schools. My choices were limited: FDR, Telecommunications, and Dewey. I did not even know Murrow existed. I did know Midwood existed because my friend kept bragging about not getting in. I was also unfamiliar with Dewey. At first, I thought it would be a bad school. I remember crystal clear when I told my guidance counselor I was interested in technology and art she recommended Dewey, and she said I should apply for it because it's a very good school and murmured to herself "good choice" and well, that was it. Results came in, and there it was. "CONGRATULATIONS-YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL'S EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOL PROGRAM." shortly after, I received in the mail a postcard from the school.
Now, there was this even going on every Friday called "Fight Back Fridays" where students, alumni, teachers and staff marched in front of the school's campus and protested "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! EDUCATION IS OUR RIGHT." and "LETS GO DEWEY! *clap clap* LETS GO DEWEY!" I questioned to myself, why? Why were they doing this? Later I found out in the following month that they planned to close Dewey. I felt disgusted. I loved the school, and I felt that another thing was going wrong in my life. My most precious and coveted opportunity, my education. So I quickly participated in school events to help defend the school. But the NYCDOE was ruthless. Eventually, we escaped the closure process and managed to go under a process called "transformation" in which the NYCDOE paid these corporate rats big bucks to "help" the school and "facilitate a healthy and prosperous environment." BULL SHIT.
As a student, I saw no changes. Everything remained the same. Do you know how much the NYCDOE spent on this "partner" to "help" our school? $500,000. Can you believe it? I was angered that the money that we were given was irresponsibly used once again. And once again, on our annual report card, our letter grade was another C. That's three consecutive C's, making us extremely vulnerable to be closed for sure. The worst was yet to come...
2011 - A Return to Tranquility? Yes? No? Maybe?
Well now that I was a sophomore, and now that Dewey escaped the phase out/closure process that Lafayette went through, we restarted. Fresh and clean with a big corporate rat on our tail. Nothing changed. Our budget was still dry, and many programs were cut. Teachers retired, and one of the best guidance counselors ever, Mr. Rolof left Dewey and went to Murrow. Along with a handful of teachers that retired. Sigh for the day when I found that out. I can't believe Murrow was getting everything, and nothing for Dewey, when we were metaphorically Murrow's father. But oh well, things change over time. I was very optimistic for the school. So I continued my studies normally. Now thinking, well gee, we've escaped! John Dewey High School will not get closed after all! Our protesting worked! Time to show the NYCDOE what were really made of now... but that didn't last long.
Early 2012 - You Thought You Escaped
In early 2012, Bloomberg was glorifying his me time on TV. Then he began to explain his ridiculous, mindless, and unreal plans for helping improve struggling NYC public schools. He claimed that he will close 33 schools, most of them in high crime areas, or having a student population with high percentages of poverty, many of them were predominantly black and Hispanic. To the dismay of everyone, John Dewey High School was on that list. Along with A and B schools such as FDR and William E. Grady (which we all know is NOT an A or B school, the NYCDOE's letter grade system is corrupt like the NYCDOE itself) so the cycle repeats. Another scare of closure. Stop the madness already! We protested and shouted our lungs out, how far was this going to go for? I couldn't take it anymore. Bloomberg makes me sick.
Not once has he donated his billions to public education. And if he says he had in the past, he's a damn straight liar. John Dewey High School was innocently targeted. Why us? Later on in the following months, the school closure list shrunk down to 24, which was still a heck of a lot of schools. The only reason why these nine schools were removed was because they were rated A or B on their annual reports for the last year. Dewey clearly deserved a B, but it was wrongly given its third consecutive C to justify its closure. Talk about corrupt. Bloomberg then reveals his plans about what he's going to: To "turnaround" these 24 schools on the to-be-closed list. Turnaround is just a fancy way of saying "Well see, we're being too harsh by saying we will close your school forever, so lets just say we'll change your school's name, remove more than 50% of the teachers, completely revamp your schools, and divide students into separate floors."
I lost it. I really did. My family did too. This dictatorship-like mayoral control was disgusting, and it was more disgusting that we couldn't do anything about it, but exercise our rights. Schools in the city were performing far worse than us, but no, we get the on the chopping block. Since Dewey's downfall in '08 our graduation rate increased over 15% and our college readiness rates surpassed the citywide average. What was going on?! As I previously mentioned, it did not matter whether your school was doing great or excelled, if it wasn't a specialized high school, you'd be at risk anywhere, anytime, to face closure under the Bloomberg administration. In the following months, we attended every conference to go against this insane closure. Defending, defending, defending. It was all about why we should stay open.
Rooms were filled with Dewey staff and students, libraries were filled, auditoriums were filled, hallways were filled. Dewey. Dewey. Dewey. John Dewey High School. Nothing but. The strong vocal alumni also helped flood the conferences. It was a memorable moment to see that the alumni, graduates from the 70's, 80's and 90's were there to help the school and support it. Amazing... but would it be amazing enough for us to get off of the chopping block? Would "they" let Dewey survive? Would they stop bullying us? The day soon came...
THE FINAL DECISION
Everyone prepared for turnaround, people already knew it was going to happen because Bloomberg and the NYCDOE always had it their way. Many teachers felt it was pointless to keep working at Dewey, so the ones with seniority status planned their retirements, especially after the removal of Barry Fried in March. Barry Fried, a longtime, and frequently criticized principal who didn't do anything, was finally removed. Kathleen Elvin, a longtime experienced principal who came from one of NYC's best small high schools Williamsburg Prep, became the new interim acting principal. Many people thought she was just a pawn for the turnaround plan, who really knew? There was so much uncertainty.
On the night of April 25th, 2012... I prayed. Prayed profoundly. Hope was the only thing I had left. I prayed to the creator above to spare these schools and to end this corruption already. The jobs and quality of education of thousands remained on the line tomorrow night.
It was the morning of April 26th, 2012... I received news that one high school was removed from the list. I prayed it was John Dewey. It wasn't. It was Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, and it was only removed because it had one politically powerful alumni—State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. She chairs the education committee. Can you believe it? Disgusting. More corruption piled on corruption. Sick. Sick. Sick. I felt nauseated. I still do when I think of it. I'm glad that a school survived, but I was disappointed because it only survived due to a politically powerful alumni. Totally unfair. I smell bureaucracy.
Later on April 26th, 2012, at the Prospect Heights Campus (formerly Prospect Heights High School, but that school was also closed as well! Imagine that.) was the Panel for Education Policy lined up at the auditorium's stage getting ready to determine the future of each school, and whether each one will be closed or not. The school's fate literally rested on their hands. It all happened that night.
Since the dawn of time (1969 that is), no other high school in the United States was better than John Dewey High School. Adored and praised, from everywhere, even making it to the White House as a school model for high schools throughout the nation in 2000. Scholars, laureates, people with 10 PhD's, well rounded intellectuals, you name it, throughout the world came to visit John Dewey High School. It even made Stuyvesant High look like a sub par school back then. Everyone bombarded this school, and if you were lucky enough, just lucky enough, to live in Brooklyn (or NYC in general) and get accepted into this institution, it was like getting accepted into an Ivy League school without the tuition, literally. Can you believe it? How on earth was public education this good? If only "they" knew it wouldn't last forever...
Well you're probably thinking, what the heck? This already has no relevancy to the title of my article. Jeez, calm down, I'll get to it. I don't have much time now that I have a pile of Chemistry homework, and an upcoming Trig test to study for.
Okay, so in the early 1970's segregation was already abolished and school districts and communities were changing demographically. Many foreigners sought after the U.S. of A and mainly (hence, mainly) nestled in large urban settings, this included, of course the Big Apple, The City that Never Sleeps, or simply New York City. This brought in many changes and places that were traditionally Jewish and Italian soon later became predominantly African-American and Puerto Rican. Schools were changing, this was known as the "white flight" and this obviously affected schools. It was jaw dropping to see school populations virtually shift in the course of just a couple of years. High schools that used to be predominantly white, were now predominantly black. Many meetings were arranged to balance out this sudden change, but at the same time keep the peace and diversity. However, it was futile and inevitable.
Man, it just kept going in the groovy 80's. It actually became even more concentrated. New York City was hell. It was extremely dangerous, heck, a public school in NYC back then could be considered in our day an uncontrolled juvenile hall. Even worse. Daily shootings, bulletin boards being burned down, extreme vandalism, things-I-don't-want-to-type going on in the bathroom stalls. Ugh. It was unbelievable. Mind you, this mostly happened in bad sections of NYC, and of course, the neighborhood schools reflected the neighborhood. But John Dewey High kept its ground, still boasting its name and laughing at the copy school, Edward R. Murrow High School which opened in 1974 thanks to a posthumous tribute to John Dewey's philosophy and John Dewey High School. That school would literally not have been born if it weren't for John Dewey High School. They even knew it, but never directly acknowledged it. Bleh, whatever.
In the 1990's, it was basically the breaking point. The NYCDOE had enough. They began closing schools, such as the iconic Erasmus Hall High School which was one of the first schools to ever get closed. My god, that school in its final days was like being incarcerated. It was also consecutively voted as one of NYC's most dangerous schools list. But it was such a shame! That school and that beautiful 1700's building and detailed architecture had gone to waste. Why, you ask? Oh... because of the neighborhood. Yep. The students were inexplicably rowdy, violent, they mainly came from troubled homes, fresh out of prison, a total disadvantaged youth. They were uncontrollable. That obviously was the only sane move the NYCDOE ever made. But even so, the following "small" and "better" schools were and are trash. It remained so bad that even the new "small" and "better" schools eventually closed as well! It was ridiculous, completely laughable.
2000's - The Beginning of the Demise of John Dewey High School (thanks to the NYCDOE)
By the year 2000, dozens of high schools throughout New York City had metal detectors installed. Usually in the schools that were voted to be the most dangerous in the city, such as Sheepshead Bay High, the Erasmus Hall Campus, and a plethora in the Bronx. No one ever expected John Dewey High School to have metal detectors. It was literally like saying Columbia University was going to get demolished because it was so hard to get in. It was that vacuous to ever have such a thought in such a sought-after, nearly-prestigious high school like John Dewey. Although, students and staff soon feared that there would be a downfall, it was a gut feeling, intuition basically. And if they only knew at the time that they were right. It was only a matter of time, and soon, time would take its toll. Why, oh why was this going to happen to John Dewey High School?
Sigh for the day in 2002 when Bloomberg officially became the Mayor of New York City. The public at the time, oblivious to the things he would soon do. Crush and destroy every resource. His dictator-like mayoral control helped ruin public education in NYC. Back to Dewey, by 2002, funds were cut. Funny. I smell a rat. Resource centers (R.C.'s which were special only-in-Dewey rooms where students could get free tutoring in every subject with teachers, along with peers and an abundance of books, computers, tables and chairs) were cut, there were only two teachers occasionally, and books were barely in sight. Why is this happening? Shouldn't the highest performing schools get more money? Many students soon had an epiphany. Although they understood that funding was cut, they found it unfair. And it really was unfair.
2004 - The Imfamous Neighbor, Lafayette High School
Oh, Lafayette! Oh, Lafayette! Yet I still weep for you so. You haven't had a good time in decades, and in retrospect, I feel kind of bad that Dewey is always sending their graduates to Ivy League schools, having a 13 acre campus for students to relax, boasting over 25 AP classes, giving students independence and autonomy, being known as one of the top most sought-after schools in the city, and sooo much more... Meanwhile you have none of that. You remain there. Breathless. Out of life. Just an eyesore of a building. Constantly having your name shoved on the pavement, and constantly having new principals every month (a little joke) along with the NYCDOE threatening to close you. Many of your students don't even come from Bensonhurst, and that's what's ruining you. From the bullying of Asian students to the frequent gang activity.
Of course, John Dewey High School didn't dare mess around with Lafayette. It was like Bronx Science and DeWitt Clinton. A very close proximity, but yet, you never hear anything about them ever interacting. That was basically the relationship Dewey shared with Lafayette. It was nonexistent. Dewey knew that it wanted to help a brother out, Lafayette, but Dewey couldn't because they didn't want to jeopardize the reputation of their school. Dewey knew to keep out. It was just one of those situations that was inevitable thanks to the NYCDOE. Bringing in students from afar that ruin the good schools in the good neighborhoods. Poor ol' Lafayette, no one ever gave that school credit. There was just too much corruption. Even the administration was corrupt. Imagine this: Unruly students inline with a corrupt administration that did not give a rats ass about Lafayette's students. How the $&#* does a school improve, in that predicament? It's insurmountable.
2006 - The Official Announced Closure of Lafayette High School
Hey there, 2006. Hey there, Lafayette. Over the course of these two years, your principals were taking trips out-of-state without consent, raking in the big bucks illegally, and doing other unprofessional (maybe even explicit?) things, you left and abandoned Lafayette High School. The poor school is still stuck in its misery, and finally, the NYCDOE will put it out of its misery, incorrectly. Truthfully and unfortunately, no one truly cared for the school. Props to the 0.001% that actually did. As the old adage says: "The bad always overshadows the good." and it was just too true in this scenario. Of course, this closure process would take effect in 2007 and would take about three years or so to complete, the NYCDOE would just be waiting for the freshman to graduate, the last graduating class of Lafayette High School ever.
2007 - John Dewey High School Wins a National Silver Medal
That's right. News Weekly & U.S. Report rewarded John Dewey High School a silver medal. It was such a proud moment when a beautiful red banner was handed down to us that read "John Dewey High School, named one of America's Best High Schools in 2007, Silver Medal Award" wow! Can you believe it?! The staff rejoiced, and the students did as well, because throughout all this nearby madness, John Dewey High School was a diamond in the rough. Sticking it out and winning national awards. Still proudly sending over a dozen seniors to Ivy League schools each year. Not even the copy, Edward R. Murrow High School, topped that award. The NYCDOE remained silent. Once again, they did not acknowledge John Dewey High School or their accomplishments. Dewey still lacking in funding, but yet, still managed to win this award. Unbelievable.
2008 - Lost Incoming Freshman, Influx of Unwanted Students, Overcrowding, Shortage of Funding, Careless Administration and a Gun Scare Lockdown at John Dewey High School (ouch)
Mamma mia! This is just going by too fast. My head is spinning. Can someone please pass me a glass of seltzer water? So lets get to it. 2008 was undoubtedly possibly the worst year in Dewey history. Mind you, all the problems mentioned in the subtitle are only some of the problems that happened in '08. *gulps* Since Lafayette announced their closure, they have officially stopped accepting freshman. So that leaves a question mark, what happens to all the freshman who were accepted into Lafayette, but now come to the realization that it's closed, and they didn't "qualify" for the NYCDOE's new "better" and "smaller" schools? Or what about those other unwanted kids who didn't get accepted into any high school? Hmm... the NYCDOE does something really stupid, and comes up with an extremely idiotic idea: Lets just shove them into Dewey!
Insideschools and the New York Times praised John Dewey High. Insideschools in 2008 called John Dewey High School "highly sought-after and unconventional" but shortly afterwards, a new article published by them titled Overcrowded Times at John Dewey High explained in depth how the NYCDOE was overlooking Dewey and purposefully ignoring their complaints and what Lafayette's closure is doing to Dewey, the NYCDOE's response is ridiculous and nonchalant, the article can be read by clicking here. The New York Times also published an article in 2008 titled Failings of One Brooklyn High School May Threaten a Neighbor’s Success and thoroughly explains more unnecessary budget cuts, and how neighboring Lafayette's closure is damaging Dewey. It also explains how some staff members and students can blatantly see the negative impact that has taken its toll. The article can be read by clicking here.
The lost incoming freshman were academically deficient and most of them had behavior problems. These uncontrolled freshman took advantage of Dewey's autonomy, created discipline problems, and progressively helped the school's numbers plummet. Ranging from graduation rates to the Learning Environment Surveys. The principal Barry Fried, who was frequently criticized, did absolutely nothing. He became ineffective. While it was not completely his fault, since this outrage and misconduct was new at Dewey, the principal just sat back in his chair and never spoke. Many students later complained that they have never even met or seen the principal before. His policies were very liberal, but obviously, Dewey was unfortunately, becoming more conservative. It was slowly shedding the Dewey philosophy.
Can you believe it? Running a school that's under-funded but overcrowded? Since Dewey was such an attractive option and people longed to go there, the school had a huge population of over 3,200 students. The building's capacity is approximately 3,000 students. In addition to those lost incoming freshman pushed into Dewey, came students from other closed neighborhood schools and infiltrated Dewey as well. Mind you, when I say "neighborhood" I don't mean Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach or Coney Island, I mean parts of Southern Bronx and Northern Brooklyn. The schools population soared, and the NYCDOE did not rightfully give Dewey its fair share of funding. Every student at Dewey was at least $5,000 below the city average per student spending. It was hectic. But to make matters worse... the breaking point was soon to come in March of 2008.
P.S. In the 2008-2009 school year, it was the first time Dewey ever received a B on their annual school report card letter grade. No more A's from then on. Hmm... I wonder why? Care to explain, NYCDOE?
John Dewey High School: The Gun Scare, Lockdown of 2008
Much like the economic recession of 2008, where the entire country faced difficulties (some even claiming it was worse than the Great Depression) Dewey, as well faced difficulties. It remains so uncanny how these difficulties correspond and happened in the same year.
On March 27, 2008 around noon, a student (sources say "that was not newly admitted from Lafayette" but so what? The student was apparently from the Bronx, and he was given a safety transfer, to John Dewey High School. Obviously, this student was part of the plot to destroy the school and the NYCDOE successfully completed their goal in this conspiracy) was found with a gun in his backpack. Some students say this happened in a Senior Economics class, others say it was just in a regular Global History class, who knows. I didn't attend Dewey when this happened, but a lot of my senior friends told me what they knew, and of course, I was sleuthing all over the Internet for more information. Sources say that the student accidentally dropped his bag, and students heard a sound like glass cracking.
What annoys me the most is that this incident was imminent. There was threatening graffiti on the walls prior to the gun scare, it was insinuating that something was going to happen at the school. It was something along the lines of "GET READY, SOMETHING BAD IS COMING, IN APRIL OR MARCH YOU'LL SEE!!" Basically, people knew. It was like Columbine about to happen at Dewey. *shiver* Yet no one really paid any mind! Why, why, why?! This is why traditionally liberal schools like Edward R. Murrow High School have also restricted student liberty, and John Dewey High School was traditionally liberal. The administration brushed off this threat. Times were changing, and the administration was too naive. This graffiti should have sparked a search or something effective to protect the students. Just a year before this gun scare, in 2007, Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and injured 23 others, and then killed himself using a gun. Was this not drilled in the administration's head?
A student in the class knew that was the sound of a gun falling, also, when the bag fell, it was unzipped so the gun was sticking out. The student fled almost instantaneously. He left the building approximately only three minutes later. The school fell into a panic. Doors were locked, alarms were ringing, teachers were praying and going into hysteria. File cabinets blocked the doors, and to the dismay of the students, they were locked in for three hours. The SWAT team was called in, helicopters and truck loads of police cars surrounded the school. It was chaotic. Some students were more sensitive than others, some were crying, some were just questioning the school and its future, some were careless and just wanted to leave, but what everyone in the building did share was their uncertainty. The question: Why was this happening to John Dewey High School?
Nonetheless, when this ordeal was over and done with, the cops and SWAT teams found nothing. Can you believe that? It's so peculiar, and to this day it remains a mystery to me. I question what really happened so many times. What if this was just a little scheme by the NYCDOE after all? Obviously, no one can speak out against this corrupt bureaucracy. Students literally burst out of those red doors, running down the campus signifying their freedom. This was a blow for the Dewey's reputation. Many parents from then on were reluctant to send their kids to Dewey. Another great public institution shattered by the claws of many. It was another chapter repeating itself. First Lafayette, then John Dewey. Bloomberg did not give a damn about what he did to Dewey. It wasn't and isn't a specialized high school, so therefore he looked at Dewey and its progress as insignificant.
2009 - The Aftermath
The year 2009 was such a conflicting year for John Dewey High. It soon found itself to be on a list of failing schools, then starting in 2009, metal detectors were added, the campus was closed, and students did not have that autonomy and independence anymore. The Dewey philosophy was washed away. As aforementioned, this made parents uneasy and reluctant to send their kids to Dewey. The high performing students sought other options. Many kids who would have gone to Dewey, instead, opted for Murrow; since the schools were so alike. Basically, the reality was, if you don't go to a specialized public high school in NYC, Bloomberg had and has a strong chance of closing your school. Regardless of your high graduation rates, college readiness, you name it. It will be destroyed one way or the other, eventually.
John Dewey High School remained overcrowded and under-funded. They had enough money for three high tech metal detectors, but they didn't have enough money to keep the music and performing arts program running? Or the automobile program? Or Japanese, German and Haitian Creole languages? Talk about irresponsibly spending money. Barry Fried, the school's principal since 1999, remained silent. A student named Michelle Kaplun explains in a small article published on the web titled John Dewey High School--Dewing Nothing? explains how irresponsible the administration was, focusing on trivial things and not being primarily concerned on the students. The article can be read by clicking here. After this, some teachers at Dewey became uncomfortable to teach there. Everything changed, and it wasn't the Dewey everyone knew.
That incident destroyed the school's reputation. John Dewey High School was no longer that high achieving school that everyone longed to get into. Many people now insulted the school, and it was frowned upon. Since the NYCDOE selects a portion of the kids who get into each school, I am inclined to believe they selected the worst of the worst. Then, before you know it, we were on the PLA list. The Persistently Lowest Achieving schools list. Also, it was Dewey's second consecutive year in receiving a C on the annual report card grade. The NYCDOE states that if a school receives three or more consecutive C's in a row, it is at risk to be closed. Funny how the school was doing so well in 2007 and two years later, the school has an unbelievable downfall. The NYCDOE accomplished their goal.
2010 - Let the Tormenting Begin!
Sorrow, pain, and agony. Let it reign said the NYCDOE in June of 2010. It enraged me so much to see the list. There were 46 schools on the list, John Dewey High School being one of them. In September of 2010, I was a freshman at John Dewey High. This was my first month to ever step foot in Dewey. I remember when I visited the school beforehand to get acquainted with the feel of the school, it amazed me. I just kept reverberating the same words "It feels like college." and it really did. The big spacious 13 acre campus helped add that feeling. I was so short, probably 5'0 (which I consider short) and everyone around me stood tall like skyscrapers over my head. Anyway, back to the point. I was very oblivious as a freshman, heck I didn't even know the NYCDOE planned to close Dewey.
I attended a truly horrible middle school. I didn't know there was such a thing as a specialized high school, or even that an SHSAT exam existed to qualify getting into one of those top schools. My choices were limited: FDR, Telecommunications, and Dewey. I did not even know Murrow existed. I did know Midwood existed because my friend kept bragging about not getting in. I was also unfamiliar with Dewey. At first, I thought it would be a bad school. I remember crystal clear when I told my guidance counselor I was interested in technology and art she recommended Dewey, and she said I should apply for it because it's a very good school and murmured to herself "good choice" and well, that was it. Results came in, and there it was. "CONGRATULATIONS-YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL'S EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOL PROGRAM." shortly after, I received in the mail a postcard from the school.
Now, there was this even going on every Friday called "Fight Back Fridays" where students, alumni, teachers and staff marched in front of the school's campus and protested "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! EDUCATION IS OUR RIGHT." and "LETS GO DEWEY! *clap clap* LETS GO DEWEY!" I questioned to myself, why? Why were they doing this? Later I found out in the following month that they planned to close Dewey. I felt disgusted. I loved the school, and I felt that another thing was going wrong in my life. My most precious and coveted opportunity, my education. So I quickly participated in school events to help defend the school. But the NYCDOE was ruthless. Eventually, we escaped the closure process and managed to go under a process called "transformation" in which the NYCDOE paid these corporate rats big bucks to "help" the school and "facilitate a healthy and prosperous environment." BULL SHIT.
As a student, I saw no changes. Everything remained the same. Do you know how much the NYCDOE spent on this "partner" to "help" our school? $500,000. Can you believe it? I was angered that the money that we were given was irresponsibly used once again. And once again, on our annual report card, our letter grade was another C. That's three consecutive C's, making us extremely vulnerable to be closed for sure. The worst was yet to come...
2011 - A Return to Tranquility? Yes? No? Maybe?
Well now that I was a sophomore, and now that Dewey escaped the phase out/closure process that Lafayette went through, we restarted. Fresh and clean with a big corporate rat on our tail. Nothing changed. Our budget was still dry, and many programs were cut. Teachers retired, and one of the best guidance counselors ever, Mr. Rolof left Dewey and went to Murrow. Along with a handful of teachers that retired. Sigh for the day when I found that out. I can't believe Murrow was getting everything, and nothing for Dewey, when we were metaphorically Murrow's father. But oh well, things change over time. I was very optimistic for the school. So I continued my studies normally. Now thinking, well gee, we've escaped! John Dewey High School will not get closed after all! Our protesting worked! Time to show the NYCDOE what were really made of now... but that didn't last long.
Early 2012 - You Thought You Escaped
In early 2012, Bloomberg was glorifying his me time on TV. Then he began to explain his ridiculous, mindless, and unreal plans for helping improve struggling NYC public schools. He claimed that he will close 33 schools, most of them in high crime areas, or having a student population with high percentages of poverty, many of them were predominantly black and Hispanic. To the dismay of everyone, John Dewey High School was on that list. Along with A and B schools such as FDR and William E. Grady (which we all know is NOT an A or B school, the NYCDOE's letter grade system is corrupt like the NYCDOE itself) so the cycle repeats. Another scare of closure. Stop the madness already! We protested and shouted our lungs out, how far was this going to go for? I couldn't take it anymore. Bloomberg makes me sick.
Not once has he donated his billions to public education. And if he says he had in the past, he's a damn straight liar. John Dewey High School was innocently targeted. Why us? Later on in the following months, the school closure list shrunk down to 24, which was still a heck of a lot of schools. The only reason why these nine schools were removed was because they were rated A or B on their annual reports for the last year. Dewey clearly deserved a B, but it was wrongly given its third consecutive C to justify its closure. Talk about corrupt. Bloomberg then reveals his plans about what he's going to: To "turnaround" these 24 schools on the to-be-closed list. Turnaround is just a fancy way of saying "Well see, we're being too harsh by saying we will close your school forever, so lets just say we'll change your school's name, remove more than 50% of the teachers, completely revamp your schools, and divide students into separate floors."
I lost it. I really did. My family did too. This dictatorship-like mayoral control was disgusting, and it was more disgusting that we couldn't do anything about it, but exercise our rights. Schools in the city were performing far worse than us, but no, we get the on the chopping block. Since Dewey's downfall in '08 our graduation rate increased over 15% and our college readiness rates surpassed the citywide average. What was going on?! As I previously mentioned, it did not matter whether your school was doing great or excelled, if it wasn't a specialized high school, you'd be at risk anywhere, anytime, to face closure under the Bloomberg administration. In the following months, we attended every conference to go against this insane closure. Defending, defending, defending. It was all about why we should stay open.
Rooms were filled with Dewey staff and students, libraries were filled, auditoriums were filled, hallways were filled. Dewey. Dewey. Dewey. John Dewey High School. Nothing but. The strong vocal alumni also helped flood the conferences. It was a memorable moment to see that the alumni, graduates from the 70's, 80's and 90's were there to help the school and support it. Amazing... but would it be amazing enough for us to get off of the chopping block? Would "they" let Dewey survive? Would they stop bullying us? The day soon came...
THE FINAL DECISION
Everyone prepared for turnaround, people already knew it was going to happen because Bloomberg and the NYCDOE always had it their way. Many teachers felt it was pointless to keep working at Dewey, so the ones with seniority status planned their retirements, especially after the removal of Barry Fried in March. Barry Fried, a longtime, and frequently criticized principal who didn't do anything, was finally removed. Kathleen Elvin, a longtime experienced principal who came from one of NYC's best small high schools Williamsburg Prep, became the new interim acting principal. Many people thought she was just a pawn for the turnaround plan, who really knew? There was so much uncertainty.
On the night of April 25th, 2012... I prayed. Prayed profoundly. Hope was the only thing I had left. I prayed to the creator above to spare these schools and to end this corruption already. The jobs and quality of education of thousands remained on the line tomorrow night.
It was the morning of April 26th, 2012... I received news that one high school was removed from the list. I prayed it was John Dewey. It wasn't. It was Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, and it was only removed because it had one politically powerful alumni—State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. She chairs the education committee. Can you believe it? Disgusting. More corruption piled on corruption. Sick. Sick. Sick. I felt nauseated. I still do when I think of it. I'm glad that a school survived, but I was disappointed because it only survived due to a politically powerful alumni. Totally unfair. I smell bureaucracy.
Later on April 26th, 2012, at the Prospect Heights Campus (formerly Prospect Heights High School, but that school was also closed as well! Imagine that.) was the Panel for Education Policy lined up at the auditorium's stage getting ready to determine the future of each school, and whether each one will be closed or not. The school's fate literally rested on their hands. It all happened that night.
11:58 p.m. And it’s over: All of the turnaround closure votes are done and have passed. Between February and today, the panel has approved 44 school closures to begin or take place this summer — far more than in any previous year. (from GothamSchools.org)
Imagine that. Oh and check this one out:
11:54 p.m. A teacher from John Dewey High School has broken out in tears behind reporters. (from GothamSchools.org)
I shed a tear. That was it, and that was the end of that. Done.
I later went on to visit the school's Facebook page and saw all these comments full of woe. Nothing but sheer depression. All these years of this great public institution shattered, and Dewey would be graduating its final class June. The 2012 graduates would be the final John Dewey High School alumni ever. History has repeated itself, dear ol' Lafayette.
John Dewey High School was gone. Wiped out from the high school directory book, and that was it. The new name was Shorefront High School of Arts & Sciences at John Dewey Campus (a truly ridiculous name that has no relevancy other than that Shorefront High School was originally the proposed name of John Dewey High School before it was named after John Dewey in the late 1960's).
Mid 2012 - Summer School Experience, Goodbye John Dewey High School, Hello Shorefront High School of Arts & Sciences at John Dewey Campus
I was in Summer school during the Summer of 2012 at Dewey, or Shorefront, whatever. I wanted to knock out hard classes and gain more credits for my upcoming Junior year. I noticed there were no longer "bands" which replaced your conventional "periods" so instead of Period 1, Period 2, Period 3, etc. John Dewey High had bands like A band, B band, C band, etc. We also had cycles instead of semesters, instead of your typical first and second semester, our cycles (semesters) were divided into fours for nine weeks each. That was all gone, thanks to the new administration. I only had Summer school for two classes. Soon papers for Summer school did not have "John Dewey High School" as their headers, now it said "Shorefront High School of Arts & Sciences at John Dewey Campus" over and over. The new name was ridiculous.
THE UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS UNION AND JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL SUE THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
See, what I left out purposefully is that beforehand, staff at John Dewey High School signed a paper for those willing to go to court and sue the NYCDOE if our school was going to close. The UFT sided with us and the 23 other schools because over 2,000 teachers would lose their jobs and become substitutes at random schools. Obviously, the union would NEVER let that happen. The whole purpose of them is to protect teachers anyway. They battle it out in court, while I was in Summer school. I didn't have any hope left, I thought the NYCDOE would win as they always would. So I carried on...
Unbelievable victory! Oh my God!
I couldn't stop smiling. Shortly after Summer school finished in late July, every student at John Dewey High School received a letter from the NYCDOE and Mark Sternberg (corrupt puppet in control) telling me that John Dewey High School along with the other schools that were planned to be "turned around" (basically closed) were no longer going to close. They were free. FINALLY. Rejoice! Rejoice! Finally, something went right. Finally, that hideous name Shorefront would no longer exist! Yes! Yes! Yes! My family laughed and couldn't believe it. Even though I knew this was a first time victory for us, it was hard to believe. No one since 2002 and when Bloomberg started closing schools had ever beat him and the NYCDOE. All the time the schools would lose and would close, well we changed that! We won! Never before has that happened.
John Dewey High School: The Aftermath and Present Day
So the new school year began normally on September 6th as John Dewey High School. For once, we were really free. This was now no sugar coated victory with temporary liberty. We had no restraints. But problems emerged... Problems never before seen...
Later on, I learned that approximately 15% of our school staff were "excessed" that meant, 13 teachers were laid off temporarily, and 10 retired. I was saddened to find out that some of the best teachers I ever had in my life, retired. I couldn't blame them, though. The pressure and stress was too much for them.
The Aftermath
It wasn't pleasant to look at my program. I was listed as a sophomore, and most of my classes were incorrect. I had no guidance counselor because some were removed and administration was still trying to figure everything out. Hundreds of students complained that their programs were wrong. Mines was too. I was placed in classes I didn't need, and some weren't even the classes I applied for. It was hectic. My school program was changed so many times I had 6 new and different programs as of October 1st. Some students didn't have their classes changed until mid-semester when grades were due. I couldn't believe it. But for the most part, those program changes have been fixed. Albeit, there's still some things that haven't been adjusted like grade level corrections and guidance counselors.
A change from last year was not only converting from bands to periods, and cycles to semesters, but also that we were now divided into "houses" each one specifying in a particular interest and preference. It may not be the original Dewey way, but it's functional for now. It'll keep students and 8th graders interested. For now, there isn't much to say as we're in October and the school is still recovering from that blow, from that Pyrrhic victory. Metaphorically, we've lost a lot of blood, but in the end, we remain alive. And that's what matters the most. I hope that by September 2013, we're better than ever. I hope that John Dewey High School regains its spectacular reputation soon. I'll do everything in my power as a student to be the change I wish to see.
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I am a student at John Dewey High School. I've experienced what other NYC public high school students haven't. John Dewey High School has shaped me, and made me the person I am today. An open-minded person. Someone who cares. I hope this article can help transcend all the barriers other schools are facing, those who are currently in the claws and victims of the NYCDOE. You're not alone, remember, Dewey used to be one of the best schools in the city until the NYCDOE ruined it. How dare the NYCDOE call it failing when it was their doing. I'm here. A student that knows what really goes on. And I can assure you that many specialized high school students have no clue about this corruption, nor do they even care, even though this article may be futile, I hope someone took the time to read it and show how passionate I am about John Dewey High School. I love my high school so much, because it has done so much for me.
Thank you.
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